This captures the shame that Jack feels. He is the most prominent figure in Hitler studies in North America but he doesn't know the language in which his subject matter spoke. A little ironic but he also relates his struggle with German to the struggle Hitler felt trying to express himself in German.
"He now know he won't go down in history"(45)
This is regarding the man in prison that Heinrich plays chess through the mail with. Jack finds out that this man regrets killing in the way he did because he won't be remembered for it in history like he would have been if he had killed someone important. But instead he'll pass through people's mind maybe a few times but then forever be forgotten.
"For most people there are only two places in the world. Where they live and their TV set." (66)
This shows how most people receive their history, from what happens directly around them, to what the media tells them is important to know. But this is bad because there is a lot more out there that should make it into history but doesn't get recorded because the people don't want to see it because it makes them feel bad.
"...then Bee was a silent witness, calling the very meaning of our lives into question." (94)
Jack uses this to say that sometimes it takes someone from the outside, to really see what your flaws are. Or in context of history -- the people that are apart of the history don't realize it and need a spectator to put it into the light
Waves and Radiation : Radiation is roughly defined as energy that is transmitted in the forms of rays, waves or particles. I feel by choosing this particular title, he was telling us how he views history. That history comes at us in waves, nothing for a while then another event hits, but also that history comes at us like radiation, flows right through us and we barely pick up on it until we notice the aftermath.
I really like the quote you chose about Bee. The relationships that Jack has with his children are really interesting, especially the conversations they have. He seems pretty blunt and honest with them, perhaps because they see so many disasters and horrors on TV that he sees no point in sugar coating anything. I also get the vibe that he feels a little bit afraid of his kids, in the sense that as they are from a different generation, they have the ability to see things from a completely different perspective; as the passage you quoted says, they have the power to call "the very meaning of our lives into question."
ReplyDeleteHello lovely highlighter of pink coloring!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the quotes you included in your post; the one that particularly spoke to me was the following: "For most people there are only two places in the world. Where they live and their TV set." (66) I completely agree with you- that people receive their history through a subjective form of media which hinders them from being fully aware of what is actually going on. Sometimes things are left out because they, like you said, make people feel bad. But, I also think it noteworthy that things are amplified (such as scandals, crazy enthusiastic tea partiers, etc..) to make people feel worse or get a rise out of people. Statements are always trying to be made through the strong voice of the media, and I enjoyed the connection that you made between the historical contexts we have covered, and the quote from the story.
YAYYY!!!!!
ps. Sorry to be 2 hours late... this completely slipped my mind. Eeeeep!
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